The Legacy of Landry

In the good old days, I never missed a chance to watch the Dallas Cowboys.  Those days are gone.  I’ve rarely watched the Cowboys since February 1989, when hick (snake) oilman Jerry Jones purchased the team and fired the only head coach the Cowboys had ever known. 

Despite all of the bragging and tough talk from new head coach Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones, the Cowboys only won one game in their first season together, despite having the first pick in the draft, courtesy of the only Dallas Cowboys owner never to win a Super Bowl – Bum Bright (appropriately named Bum, even if he wasn’t very bright). 

Jerry Jones eventually spent enough money (something Bum never did) to bring Super Bowl trophies to Dallas, but he did it with coaches completely lacking in class, including Jimmy Johnson, who would never have beaten Landry in a head-to-head match-up. 

Whereas Tom Landry was the only coach “America’s Team” had known for the first 29 years of their history, primarily due to the faith of  original owner Clint Murchison, Jerry Jones has hired and fired (including Landry) seven different head coaches in the 22 years that he’s owned the Cowboys (they’re no longer America’s Team – they’re Jerry’s Team).

Last October, I went to the Texas State Fair for the first time in decades, because I wanted to see a special exhibit honoring the late Tom Landry at The Hall of State, in the shadow of the Cotton Bowl at Fair Park.  His widow, Alicia, provided many personal items, including numerous awards, letters, photos, jackets, and even one of his famous hats.  There was a short video of the February 2000 funeral service for Coach Landry, as well as action videos of various Cowboy teams from the Landry era, featuring the flex defense and the offensive line bouncing into their stance (one of the coolest things to watch that Landry ever came up with). 

There was even a 1983 video clip featuring Landry in a humorous American Express commercial.  In the commercial, Landry rode into town on a horse, wearing chaps, duster, and cowboy hat, spoke to the camera about his American Express card, and confidently entered a saloon full of angry Washington Redskin football players.

Judging from the lines and the crowd on the day I went, there seemed to be quite a few people who went to the fair specifically for the Tom Landry exhibit.  The fair is over now, but the Landry exhibit will stay open until the Super Bowl on February 6.  If you get a chance to see this tribute to the coach who revolutionized pro football, you won’t be disappointed.  If you don’t want to go alone, and need a lifelong Landry fan to go with you, give me a shout.